Grave Night
by Haugh Wards
Summary: Halloween 1991: Instead of joining the Halloween feast at Hogwarts, First Year Harry Potter is going to visit his parents grave in Godric's Hollow for the first time. This decision changes a lot for Harry.


**AN: This is a rather mushy story. It is just a one-shot but I hope you enjoy it.**

 **27th October 1991 (Sunday)**

 _What happens when you combine a powdered snake fang with a nettle in a potion?_

Harry was doing the final question for his Potions homework, sitting at a corner desk in the Gryffindor Common Room.

It was his last piece of homework to finish for the weekend. He always left Potions homework for last as, by that point, his brain would be a lot more engaged making the study of it easier. Ron had shrugged off doing his homework, preferring to play chess by himself and who had now gone to bed. He had not done any homework throughout the entire weekend. Harry had already finished Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, and was about to finish his Potions.

After careful contemplation and a reading from his Potions book Harry wrote his answer.  
 _The potion would be destroyed instantly as the powdered snake fang has acid in its content. The acid along with the nettles would destroy the potion and the cauldron. You have to grind the powdered snake fang into really soft powder to not threaten the brewing process in the cauldron when combined with the nettle._

Harry knew he didn't have to fill in the last line but he did anyway. Even though he wouldn't be able to see it, he knew Snape would be annoyed when he saw that he had got it right.

Once he packed away his finished homework he moved over to the sofa by the fire and sat next to the sleeping figure of Hermione Granger, the Gryffindor bookworm. She had fallen asleep reading _Herbologists of Nature_. Harry had a feeling someday she would become a close friend, but he brushed it off.

He sat there in front of the fire, thinking of his new life here in Hogwarts. He loved this world, the world his parents had lived in for so many years. At the thought of his parents, he became sad again. He had only found out a few months beforehand that they didn't die in a car crash like his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon said. They had both been murdered in cold-blood by a madman named Lord Voldemort, taken from him at the young age of one year old.

He had been told some stories about his parents by Hagrid, who was always happy to talk about his parents, especially his mum, who he learned was exceedingly kind but had a sharp tongue when angered. His dad apparently loved having fun playing pranks and flying on his broomstick. Hagrid even joked that his father James and his closest friends are probably the reason Professor McGonagall had grey hair.

Despite the smile on his lips at the thought of these stories, Harry was sad. He had never met his parents in his life and now that he learned the truth about them and the stories he was told, he missed his mum and dad more than ever. He lay back on the sofa, thinking of them. While thinking about them, he fell asleep on the sofa, his sleeping head falling to the side where it came to rest on Hermione Granger's shoulder.

 **HP/\HP**

The next day during classes Harry couldn't help but blush whenever Hermione Granger smiled at him. They had an awkward encounter early in the morning when they both woke up. Well, it was awkward for him anyway. Hermione had just laughed, shook his hand, smiled at him in a friendly way, and went back to her dormitory to get ready for breakfast. Harry felt awkward over the whole thing.  
After all the years at the Dursley's, despite the near two months of being at Hogwarts, he still wasn't used to kindness, affection, or friendship.

"As it is shortly Halloween," McGonagall spoke to the class. "I will not be giving out Homework until after it, but it does not mean-" she paused for effect "-that you shouldn't study. Class Dismissed."

Transfiguration was their last class of the day. Harry considered that a good thing as he wanted to talk to McGonagall after class

When the room was clear of students he went up to McGonagall's desk.

"Can I help you Mr. Potter?" she said, looking up from correcting homework.

Harry felt his nerves coming. "I-I was hop-hoping to ask a q-question," he stuttered. He felt intimidated talking to the no-nonsense teacher.

McGonagall looked at him and smiled. Harry had never seen McGonagall smile before. She looked nice and approaching now that she had the smile.

"Well ask away Mr. Potter," she said nicely, still smiling. "What is it?"

"Well," Harry continued. He felt confident talking now. "I was thinking of my parents last night. I know that they died on Halloween and I was sort of hoping I could go to visit their graves on Halloween instead of going to the feast. I had never been to see where they are buried and now I would like to."

The words came tumbling out of his mouth that he wasn't sure if his teacher had caught all that. She was the head of Gryffindor House so he felt he should ask her.

Professor McGonagall wasn't smiling anymore. Her smile was replaced and now she looked like she was frowning. Unbeknownst to Harry though, his words made Minerva McGonagall upset.

After a minute standing there, she responded. "I'm sorry Mr. Potter for the deaths of your parents. They were such good people." She sounded a bit choked up speaking. Regaining her composure she continued. "However, I can't let you leave the school without an adult present. I will accompany you to their graves if you don't mind, that is?"

Harry didn't mind at all. As long as it was someone who wasn't Snape he was perfectly fine with it.

 **HP/\HP**

"No Albus, Severus will not be taking young Harry to their grave," Minerva practically shouted.

She had come up to Albus' office to inform him that she would not be at the Halloween Feast and would instead be taking Harry Potter to Godric's Hollow to the Potter grave.

"But it would be the right time for them to bond, given Severus' friendship with Lily," Dumbledore tried to argue once again.

Minerva slapped her head in frustration. "Albus, I am well aware of how relations between Severus and Harry are," she said firmly. "He will not be taking Harry. Severus can go to the grave earlier in the day to say what he wants to say. He won't want to take Harry with him. In fact, good luck trying to convince Severus to escort him."

Albus clearly hadn't thought of that. It would be a much harder challenge to convince Severus to take Harry than convincing Harry to accept Snape as an escort.

"Okay, Minerva," he sighed. "You take Harry to James and Lily's grave."

He got no response as she left his office without another word. He sighed in relief as she left. Despite being known for not being scared of anything, he was utterly terrified of his Deputy, especially when it came to Harry Potter. If she ever found out how the Dursley's treated him he knew he would not survive the confrontation.

 **HP/\HP**

It was now the day of Halloween and Harry was feeling sad. His parents' death was weighing in on him as this was the day of their tenth anniversary.

Flitwick must have seen his pain because he paired Harry up with Hermione Granger for a change instead of with Seamus. Even though he liked Seamus, he couldn't stand the countless explosions the Irish lad caused in class. Seamus was absolutely terrible at Charms.

They were currently learning the Swish and Flick, otherwise known as the Levitation Charm.

Harry really wasn't in the mood for learning it. McGonagall had sent a note by owl on Monday night saying that she would take him to his parents grave at six o clock and to be ready. She would meet him at the main door of the castle at that time.

He was mindlessly saying the charm along with the rest of the class when he felt his arm grabbed.

"Stop, stop," Hermione was saying. "You're going to poke someone's eye out."

"Sorry," Harry mumbled.

"It's okay," she said. "Would you like me to help you?"

"Sure," Harry mumbled, trying not to look her in the eye. He still felt awkward when he saw her.

"Alright," she said. He was unprepared for her grabbing his arm. "You move your hand like this."

She motioned his arm and hand to the Swish and Flick motion. "And while your arm is moving you say these words: Wingardium Leviosa. Say it."

"Wingardium Leviosa," Harry intoned moving his arm and wrist just right.

"Now try it," she encouraged him.

Feeling confident he picked up his wand, pointed it at his feather, moved his arm and spoke, "Wingardium Leviosa."

His feather started floating in the air and he now felt euphoric at having accomplished it.

"Well done, Mr. Potter, very well done," Flitwick commended.

Suddenly there was an explosion in the room. Harry sighed, knowing it was Seamus again. He looked and saw Seamus and Ron, who was Seamus' partner, covered in black soot and their hairs sticking up straight. A single but destroyed feather floated down onto their desk.

"At least he got it in the air," he whispered to Hermione, who giggled quietly.

 **HP/\HP**

Harry watched as the students crowded into the Great Hall for the Halloween Feast.

It was ten minutes to six and he was standing by the main door watching chattering students walk through the large double doors.

He had told Ron he wasn't going to the feast. When Ron asked why he told him he was going to his parents grave. Ron had hung his head, shook his hand and said "May They Rest In Peace" before going into the hall for the feast.

"Are you ready, Mr. Potter?"

Harry turned to see McGonagall standing there. She wasn't wearing her usual witches attire, but nice black trousers and a woolen jumper.

He was surprised to see the woman wear something so _Muggle_. It must have shown on his face because she told them they were going to the Muggle World and she wasn't going to wear anything loud and obnoxious. She had looked at Headmaster Dumbledore when she said this, who was walking into the Great Hall wearing a set of purple and yellow robes with a matching wizarding hat that had a black question mark on it.

She opened the Main Doors, motioning for Harry to follow. After they passed the main gate she grabbed Harry's hand.

"Harry, I am now going to Apparate," she said. She quickly explained Apparition to Harry, who was enthralled at the idea of Teleportation.

However, he didn't like the experience as it felt like he was going through an extremely tight tube.

"Welcome Harry, to Godric's Hollow," she said smiling.

Harry liked that she was now calling him by his first name. It sounded better than Mr. Potter.

He followed the Professor out of the alley and down the street. Godric's Hollow had a quaint, but welcoming feel to it, like an old friend.

Strung all around with colored lights, there was what looked like a war memorial in the middle. There were several shops, a post office, a pub, and a little church whose stained-glass windows were glowing jewel-bright across the square.

He could see the graveyard behind the church and his heart fluttered. He was going to see where his parents were buried in that graveyard.

McGonagall walked him over to the entrance of the Graveyard.

"Would you like me to wait here for you Harry?" she asked, thinking he would like his privacy.

However, the graveyard looked scary in the dark. Harry had seen parts of a film called _The Omen_ in the Summer that had shown hellhounds in a graveyard scene and didn't want to go in alone.

"Can you come with me?" Harry asked, a little fear in his voice.

"Of course," McGonagall said.

She brought him through the graveyard. She clearly knew the spot that his parents were buried in.

And then he saw it. A white marble headstone that seemed to shine in the dark. He went up close and read the words on it.

JAMES POTTER LILY POTTER

BORN 27 MARCH 1960 BORN 30 JANUARY 1960

DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981 DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

And tears came before he could stop them, and what was the point in wiping them off or pretending? He let them fall, his lips quivering, looking down at the stones where underneath the last of his Mum and Dad laid.

"I miss you, Mum and Dad," he sobbed. "I wish you were here because I know then I would have an actual family who loved me. I don't want to be near Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon. They hate my guts. I just want to be with you."

And little Harry fell on the stone covered grave hugging the tombstone, crying his eyes out and mumbling incoherently.

And then he felt himself being lifted by caring hands. McGonagall pulled him close, and he cried into her woolen jumper, not caring that she was seeing him like this. He just missed his Mum and Dad very much.

Minerva McGonagall, however, was thinking two things as she held the weeping boy. One was how much she missed James and Lily. James had been her Protégé and she was close to the couple when they were alive. She was one of the few that knew where they lived. Sirius Black had given her paper saying _James and Lily Potter lived at 7 Kinder Lane_. She would visit them at least once a week and train James and see baby Harry. He was just the sweetest baby there was. She remembered his first birthday very well. Sirius Black had sent little Harry a toy broomstick and he had terrified her by chasing her around the house while she was in her cat form.

The second thing she was thinking was yanking Albus' beard. She heard Harry say that he hated the Dursley family he was left with and she could guess why. Albus was going to pay.

 **HP/\HP**

At that moment Dumbledore felt a shiver go down his spine and looked around, feeling like he was in big trouble. Seeing nothing around him in the hall he popped a sherbet lemon in his mouth.

Just as he was about to drink his pumpkin juice Quirinus Quirrell, the Defence professor burst in the doors at the back of the hall and made his way to the staff table, heaving.

"Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know."

The man then sank to the floor in a dead faint.

There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

As Dumbledore had made a smart decision earlier in the day to not interfere with Harry leaving the castle his brain was working better than normal.

"Students shall remain here in the Great Hall. All prefects are to watch over the students while we will deal with the troll."

He walked down to the fainted figure of Quirinus Quirrell. "Rennervate."

"Is the troll gone?" Quirinus whimpered.

"You're going to help us get rid of it, you idiot," Dumbledore whispered in his ear. "You know how to deal with trolls after all."

Dumbledore frog marched the stuttering professor out of the Great Hall, followed by the staff with their wands at the ready who sealed the doors to the hall.

On the underside of Quirrell's turban, a leeching entity was angry. You should've thought better than using a troll you blithering fool, it had hissed.

 **HP/\HP**

"This is where you and your family lived, Harry," McGonagall said, pointing at the house that was now in front of them. She thought the young boy would like to see the house where he lived with his parents.

The hedge had grown wild in the ten years since Hagrid had taken Harry from the rubble that lay scattered amongst the waist-high grass. Most of the cottage was still standing, though entirely covered in dark ivy and snow, but the right side of the top floor had been blown apart. He and McGonagall stood at the gate, gazing up at the wreck of what must once have been a cottage just like those that flanked it.

Harry went forward and put his hand on the gate, wanting to be closer to the house. His touch on the gate seemed to have done it. A sign had risen out of the ground in front of them, up through the tangles of nettles and weeds, like some bizarre, fast-growing flower, and in golden letters upon the wood it said:

 _On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981,_ _Lily and James Potter lost their lives._ _Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard_ _ever to have survived the Killing Curse._ _This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left_ _in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters_ _and as a reminder of the violence_ _that tore apart their family._

And all around these neatly lettered words, scribbles had been added by other witches and wizards who had come to see the place where the Boy Who Lived had escaped. Some had merely signed their names in Everlasting Ink; others had carved their initials into the wood, still, others had left messages. The most recent of these, shining brightly over ten years' worth of magical graffiti, all said similar things.

 _Wherever you are, best of luck Harry.  
May life be good to you little Harry!  
Long live Harry Potter._

Minerva was furious when she saw the magical graffiti. How could people desecrate the ground where a family was ripped apart.

However, Harry had a different reaction. He was awed at the messages that were left for him. He looked up at the top right side of the house that was blown apart, guessing that was where Voldemort's curse had backfired.

Then he saw another message that was written on the gate he was touching.

 _May the Potter's Rest In Peace._

He choked back a sob of happiness at the respect people had for him and his family. The wave of happiness flooded through him like a train going through a tunnel.

Turning to his new favorite Professor he spoke. "I'm ready to go back to Hogwarts."

 **HP/\HP**

"There's the troll," Dumbledore whispered to Quirinus. "Show us how to handle them, Quirinus. I'm ready to learn."

Quirrell felt like shouting at the Headmaster and walking away. But knowing that would blow his cover he walked out of the hidden corner and up to the troll that was standing there looking confused and drooling.

"Hello, boy," he spoke. "How are you?"

The troll started to get angry.

"Oh, are you a girl, are you?" he quickly said. "Would you like some elk to eat? I know where we can find some elk for a gorgeous troll like you to eat."

The troll was happy now.

"Come on girl, let me take you to a place where there is plenty of elk for you to eat. Come on follow me."

The happy troll followed Quirrell down the hallway to the Main Door. He managed to get the troll out of the damn castle and into that damned Forbidden Forest.

Once out of sight of the castle he started fuming.

"You're a bloody useless troll," he shouted. "You were supposed to cause a distraction so I could get that infernal stone. Why did I bother trying to recruit a dim-witted idiot like you?"

He kept blathering on in anger insulting the troll. What he didn't realize was that the troll was now extremely angry at being insulted left, right, and center.

The troll was not going to take any more insults. The creature brought his club hard on Quirrell's head before leaving.

Quirrell hadn't realized he brought the troll right to the Acromantula colony. After several unpleasant happenings in the colony that night Voldemort's spirit left the forest back to Albania, angry he had been abolished for the second time. And on his tenth anniversary too. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to wait another ten years. He hated Albania.

 **HP/\HP**

Albus Dumbledore popped a sherbet lemon in his mouth as he sat in his office.

He had just received a letter from the centaur Firenze telling him that Quirrell/Voldemort had been destroyed again in the Forest. He thought it was hilarious irony, as Voldemort vanished on this day ten years beforehand. He knew Voldemort would rise again someday, but for now, he was going to relax.

His door opened right away and a furious Minerva stormed into the room with the fire of Hades burning in her eyes.

"Hello, Minerva," he said cheerily. "I have some news. Lord Voldemort has been banished again."

It was only now he saw that she was extremely angry. "What's wrong, Minerva?"

And she advanced.

 **LATER...**

"I am extremely sorry for the pain I have caused you, Harry," Dumbledore said to the young boy seated in his office.

After the confrontation with Minerva, he had summoned the boy to his office to select a different home for him.

"Now I know of a family that would be perfectly willing to take you in," he started saying before he heard a slight cough from his Deputy who was there too.

Fearfully he changed his words. "Actually, it is not my choice. It is not up to me where you want to go and what you want to do."

He looked fearfully at Minerva who gave him a brief thumbs up.

"Can I stay with Professor McGonagall?"

Dumbledore was surprised. Very surprised. Just what had happened to the boy to get himself attached to the strict Professor. He knew better than to ask anyway.

"Me?" Minerva said, shocked. "Why?"

Albus couldn't help but chortle at the expression on the woman's face, but quickly stopped when she turned her eyes to him.

"Did you two bond at Godric's Hollow?" Dumbledore asked, now realizing what was going on.

"I think I'm too old to care for you Harry," she said. "I'm fifty-six years old. However, I'd be happy to see you now and again. I see you are close friends with Ron Weasley. Maybe you'd like to stay with his family."

"I know Molly would love to have another child to feed," she mumbled, and Dumbledore smiled at this. Molly Weasley loved children and would no doubt want to take care of another child.

"Stay close to friends, Harry," Dumbledore said. "There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate."

"As for who you'd like to stay with," he continued. "Make some close friends and decide at the end of the year."

At that moment the door opened and Severus came into the room, dragging an angry Ron Weasley with him.

"Headmaster, Weasley here was found in the Charms corridor setting off fireworks," he seethed.

Dumbledore realized what happened at once. The Weasley Twins obviously set them off and Ron Weasley must have been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I was not," exclaimed Ron. "I was heading to the Great Hall to get a few leftovers for Scabbers. He's hungry."

"Give him to me Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore offered. "I had a few pet rats myself and they love sweets. I've got plenty here."

However, the moment the currently sleeping rat was put on his hand he knew it was not a real rat. He could feel the magic coming from the creature, and Fawkes was going nuts squawking at the rat.

"OUT," he yelled. The room was cleared instantly except for Minerva who remained stoic.

"This is not a rat, Minerva," he said, feeling extremely suspicious because of Fawkes. "I think it's an Animagus."

 **HP/\HP**

Harry went back to Gryffindor Tower, feeling too scared to go in front of Dumbledore again.

When he got in he saw that Hermione Granger, once again, was reading a book in front of the fire. Remembering Dumbledore's words about friendship, he went over to her and sat down beside her.

"How are you, Hermione?" he asked.

Surprisingly, she put her book down and turned to speak. "I'm okay," she said, sounding slightly shaken. "I thought you were in trouble earlier. You weren't in the Great Hall when the troll was in the castle."

"WHAT, THERE WAS A TROLL IN THE CASTLE," Harry exclaimed loudly.

"Where were you, then?" Hermione asked.

And Harry told her everything. How McGonagall took him to Godric's Hollow to visit his parents grave on their anniversary, seeing his old house, and how he felt about it.

After he finished speaking she spoke. "Why are you telling me this, Harry?" she asked.

"Because you're my friend," he said, and he felt great saying that word. "Friends talk to each other after all."

"I've never had a friend before," she said in a small voice.

"Neither have I until I came here," he said back. "And you're my friend. Am I your friend?"

Smiling, she nodded. "Yes!"

 **HP/\HP**

It was the end of First Year.

Gryffindor had won the House Cup for the first time in a long time and Harry had passed his tests with flying colors.

He had made a good few more friends since Halloween. Apart from Ron, he was now great friends with Hermione, Neville Longbottom (who he recently found out he was his best friend as a baby), Susan Bones from Hufflepuff, and had found an older close friend named Cedric Diggory, who was Susan's cousin, who looked out for him and helped him in Quidditch tactics.

The trial of the century had taken place some months ago that saw the release of Sirius Black who was Harry's godfather. He was going to meet him in the Summer. The man was currently confined in St. Mungo's for treatment and would be out in about late July.

And the best thing was, he was staying at Hogwarts for the week.

He had chosen to stay with Aunt Minnie -she gave him permission to call her by her first name, but only in private- for the first week of the holidays. She already had some activities lined up.

After that, he was going to Ron's for the next two weeks, and after that, he was staying with Neville until the end of July. They were both going to have a joint birthday party.

After he waved goodbye to his friends on the train and it had gone out of sight he turned to walk back to Hogwarts. As he looked at the breathtakingly beautiful castle, he smiled.

Life was great.


End file.
